Pages

Monday, August 29, 2016

For awhile I have been creating sewing and embroidery projects for craft magazines. That has kept me pretty busy, but in the end, all these projects come home and the rights revert to me once the issue is off the shelves.

What that means for you, dear reader, is that these are now available to share with you!

Periodically, I'll be choosing from my favorite magazine-worthy projects plus creating some never seen before patterns and bundling them together for you to enjoy. There will be at least three patterns in each bundle.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Now that you have followed the lessons for Crazy Quilt Embroidery School, you can create lovely seams for quilt blocks or even use the stitching for embellishing jeans and blouses or bordering hoop art or framed embroidery designs.

If you are looking for a small project right away, here's a little faux fan quilt block lavender sachet you can make in a jiffy.

I would not recommend the project for a pincushion because I have not pieced the block but laid down the pieces using fusible iron-on web. This makes a fabric top a bit too thick for pins and needles. However, if you would very much like to make this into a pincushion, you can stitch the pieces down using a straight stitch and sewing thread close to the outer edges. Then you can embroider the seams and the piece will serve as a pincushion.

Print and cut the fan block template into its pieces. Trace each piece onto the paper side of fusible web and cut out these pieces as shown - some pieces have a little overlap allowance.

Iron the fusible web to the back of the fabric scraps, and cut them out around the paper. Pull off the paper back. Now they are ready to iron onto the foundation fabric.

Iron the pieces onto the fabric in the order shown below. The fan pieces will overlap the inner curve of the long edge, but should rest up right against each other on the sides. The pointed corner is the last to be ironed on.

Use your favorite colors and stitches to decorate the seams. I used 3 and 4 strand lengths of the embroidery floss.

Stitch the front to the backing fabric leaving an opening at the bottom for turning and filling. Turn right side out and press out the seams carefully with a warm iron.

Fill with lavender and stitch the opening closed using a ladder stitch.

I simply used some crochet cotton I had an a conveniently sized needle case as a base to make a four tassles, one for each corner.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

This is a beautiful design made from several easy stitches. The design is created one stitch type at a time.

First the herringbone stitch is laid down. This is like a wide cross stitch and very easy.

Next, straight stitches are added at the tops and bottoms of the herringbone stitches.

Then the little straight stitch fans are made.

Lazy daisy stitches and then french knots complete the design. It looks much more complicated than it is!

The herringbone stitch is so easy. Just bring the needle to the front of the fabric at the bottom of the first stitch. Make a long straight stitch, then come back up to make the next long stitch. Continue to the end of the seam.

Add the little straight stitch caps at the top and bottom of the stitches.

Stitch up the little fans just as in seam 2.

This is the seam so far.

Next, add lazy daisy stitches at the ends of all the caps.

Cover all the little dots with french knots and the seam is finished.

Congratulations! You have learned how to cover crazy quilt block seams with a variety of simple traditional stitches.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

This stitch is worked similarly to blanket stitch in that the stitch is grabbed and bent by the next stitch.

Bring the needle to the front at the left side of the seam. Insert the needle at the end of the bent line and back up at the bend, wrapping the thread to the back of the needle. Pull the thread through.

Work the next stitch the same way.

To finish the seam, bring the needle up at the bend and make a small tacking stitch over long stitch.

Add lazy daisy stitches. These are worked just like chains stitches except these are the individual chains, unlinked. Start the lazy daisy as you would chain stitch.

Instead of making a next chain, simply tack this stitch in place.

In the next lesson, we combine several very easy stitches to create a masterful seam 6. See you there!

Monday, August 22, 2016

Bring the needle to the front of the fabric at the top left prong of the first feather. Be sure to leave the tiny dots alone. These are for french knots.

Insert the needle into the opposite prong, and bring the needle to the back leaving a loop of thread still at the front.

Now bring the needle back to the front at the bottom of the first feather, which is the bottom of the V. Pull the thread through to make the first stitch.

You can continue to make stitches by inserting the needle at the end of the next V prong and bringing the needle back up at the bottom of the V while wrapping the thread around the needle. Be sure to work the actual V. There are tricky straight stitch lines on both sides of some of the Vs.

Work the straight stitches on either side of the Vs.

Add french knots where the little dots are. Bring the needle to the front of the fabric right next to a dot.

Wrap the thread around the needle twice.

Insert the needle into the fabric just a couple of threads away from where you started and gently pull the wrapped threads close to the needle.

Pull the needle to the back of the fabric drawing the thread through to make a knot.

Seam 4: Chevron stitch

Bring the needle and thread to the front of the fabric on the left side of the first stitch. Insert the needle at the other end of this small stitch and bring it to the back leaving a loop of thread.

Bring the needle and thread back to the front in the middle of this stitch which is at the end of that upside down V line. Pull the thread through.

Make a stitch over the long line and then stitch the top "cap" stitch.

Once again bring the needle back up in the middle of the small stitch which is the end of the next long line. Continue making long and short stitches.